Combination musical instrument.



J. T. MAYER.

COMBINATION MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR.16,1908. 915,870, Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

\ ni P l 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JULIAN T. MAYER, OF NEW YORK. N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO J. & FISFHER. ACORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COMBINATION MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 23, 1909.

Application filed March 16, 1908. Serial No. 421,284. a

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIAN T. MAYER, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York andState of New York,have invented a new and useful Combination Musical Instrument, of whichthe following is a s ecification.

This invention re ates to means for mounting andoperating a door orpanel for supporting the operating pedals for a mechanioal orcombination musical instrument.

The principal objects of theinvention are to provide simple andinexpensive means for wperating the swingin door or anel so constructedthat when it is operate to open the door the force will be exerteddirectly against the latter also to rovide a single spring or set of srin which will cushion the motion of the 001' fiath when itfalls openand when it is closed'by the operating means; and also to rovide aconstruction of pedal guard to which the door or anel may be pivoted sothat the device wil appear like an ordinary instrument when use Fig. 1showing the parts in closed position- Fig. 4 is a front elevation of thesame; an Fi 5 is a sectional view of a modification. e invention isshown as applied to the lower part of the case of an ordmaryupr'ightcombination that it is app cable to other of instruments. 1 g

' The case 10 is shown as, provided with a lower rail 11 havingperforations through which the pedals 12 which control the loudnessproject. On the front of the lower rail is mounted a pedal guard whichconsists of two pieces 13 and 14 each preferabl formed 1 of metal andthe former fixed to the ower rail as usual and having perforations 15for the pedals 12. The piece 14 is hinged to the stationary iece 13 bmeans of a hinge-pin 16 which is shown he ow the top of the front bf'thebottom rail. The door or panel 17 in connection with a combinationinstrument.

iano, butit is beunderstood' at which t is fixed to the hinged piece 14and swings therewith about the pin 16 as an axis carr ing with itthepedals 37 for mechanical y operating the instrument. The casing asusual is rovided with an opening 18 for receivingt e door, and byreference to Fig. 3

it will be understood that when the door is clos'ed'its weight acts atthe rear of its ivot in such a way as to tend to keep it closer the backof the plate 14 hearing against the front of the lower rail of thecasing so as to limit the inward motion of the door: The and thus servesits usual purpose and in addition acts as a hinge for the door.

For the purpose of operating the door it is provided with a bracket 20near its lower or inged side to which is ivoted a link 21. This link isconnected wit the short arm 22 of a bell-crank, the long arm 23 of whichis connected with a sliding rod 24. This rod is movably connected withthe end of an arm 25 mounted on a shaft 26 supported in any convenientposition on the casing. An arm 27 on the shaft is employed for o cratingit. The bell-crank is pivoted on a racket 28 which is fixed to theinside of the casing, the pivoted point being located a little above theottorn of the door and at the rear thereof.

'From a consideration of F g. 3 it will'be seen that these parts are soconstructed that when stantialtl/y horizontal. Therefore any e rstion ofe shaft 26 to open the door wi act on the door along a line erpendicularthemto, thus having a great e money for opening the door. On the otherhand when the door has to he closed the. first motion of the shaft '26for closing it will exert a pull on the outer in a direction almostperpendicular to a line connect the hinge pin 16 with the point link 21is pivoted to the door. It will be seen, therefore, that the parts areso arren d on account of the location, construction and arrangement ofthe bell-crank that a maximum efficiency of the link 21 both in theclosing and o ening operations is secured especially at t e commencementof these motions. 4

In order properly to cushion the closing and opening motions of the doorand to assist both when the shaft 26 is first started in eitherdirection, a sprin 30 is provided. This spring is fined to the inside ofthe lower rail 11 and normally projects outwardly from the upper edgethereof at an angle midway sued" the door is closed the link 21 will besubin Fig. 5, but t e bracket 38 is ocated below between the positionsof the s ring shown in Figs. 1 and 3. On account 0 this construction-ofthe spring and of the fact that it is passed freely through a staple orthe like 31 on the inside of the door so that it has a slidingconnection therewith, it will be seen that the spring operates to checkthe last part of the 0 ening motion of the door, and also to chec thelast part of the closing motion thereof. The tendency of thespringisalways to return to an intermediate position, and consequently itassists in starting the door from either of its extreme positions. Thiswith the arrangement of levers renders the door very easy to start ineither direction, but after considerable momentum is secured themomentum is checked by the sprin and the effectiveness of the levers isreduce It will be seen therefore that this spring has a double efiect,and that its efiiciency in the several ways mentioned is secured in amost simple and inexpensive manner.

In order to ermit the links to operate in the manner above described,the anal is rovided with a cut-out place 40 and them liottom' railwith asimilar cut-out place 41. Substantiall the same pri-nci les are shownthe top of the lower rail and the arms 42 and 43 of the bell-crankextcndupwardly from the ivoted oint instead of downwardly. The ink is sustantially horizontal when the door is closed.

While I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of theinvention, I am aware that many modifications may be i made therein byany person skilled in the art l without departing from the scope of theinvention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to belimited to the par- 1 ticular details of construction shown, but

What I do claim is:

1. In a musical instrument, the combination with a swinging door orpanel, of a linkpivoted to the door or panel near its point of pivotedsupport, a sliding rod, and a bellcrank pivoted to the rod and link andlocated 111 such position back of the door or panel that when the sameis closed the link will be substantially perpendicular thereto.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination with a swinging door 0panel, of a link pivoted thereto near the lower portion thereof, anoperating rod, and a bell-crank having a long and a s ort arm, one armbeing connected with said rodand the other arm with said link, saidbell-crank being pivoted behind the panel and at a point near the bottomthereof.

3. In a musical instrument, the combination with a swinging door orpanel of an operating device therefor comprising a link pivoted to thedoor near the bottom thereof, a rod for operating the door, a bracketloca tcd inside the casing of the instrument, and

a bell crank pivoted to said bracket at a point near the bottom of thedoor, said bellcrank being connected with said link and rod.

4. In a musical instrument, the combination with a swinging door orpanel, of a link pivoted to the door or anel near its oint of pivotalsupport, a sli in rod, a be l-crank pivoted to the rod and ink rindlocated in such position back of the door or panel that when the same isclosed the link will be substantially erpendicular thereto, and a springfixed to t e inside of said casing below the door or panel and havingsliding connection with the door or'panel, said spring being normally ofa shape intermediate between the forms which it assumes in the twoositions of the door or panel, whereby it wil cushion the swingingthereof in both ,direhtions.

5. In a musical instrument, the combination with a musical instrumentcase having a bottom rail of a swinging door, pivoted near said railmeans for o ning and closing it having a substantially direct normalaction on the door during the commencement of the motion of the door inone direction, and reslli'ent means for assisting in moving the doorduring the first part of its motion in either direction am; for checkingit during the last part.

6. The combination with a musical instrument case having a bottom rail,of a swinging door or panel, pivoted near said rail means for operatingit, and a spring having one end fixed to the casingand theother end hav'a sliding connection with the door or pari f the normal shape of saidspring being intermediate between the two ositions which it 1 assumes inthe 0 en and c osed positions of the panel, where ,3 the spring willcushion both the opening and closing motion of the door or panel.

7. The combination with a musical instrument case having a bottom rail,of a door or panel pivoted at its lower'side thereto below the top ofthe outer surface thereof, a spring fixed to the inner side of saidbottomrail and having a sliding engagement with the door or panel, andmeans inside the casing for operating the door or panel.

8. In a musical instrument, the combination with the bottom rail havingerforations therethrough and pedals extending through said perforations,of a pedal guard located on the fiont of said bottom rail and havirfiperforations for said pedals, said ped uard being in two pieces, thebottompimte eing fixed to the lower rail, and the upper piece ivoted tothe bottom piece below the top 0 the rail, a door or panel fixed to theupper piece of said pedal guard, and means inside the casing' foroperating the door or panel.

9. A pedal guard for a musical instrument first platealong ahorizontalline, said second ing connection with the door or panel for plate havingmeans by which a door or panel l cushioning both the opening and closingm0- may be secured thereto, whereby said door lieu thereof. or panelwill be ivoted to the lower piece of In testimony whereof I havehereunto set 5 said pedal guard? my hand, in the presence of twosubscribing 15 10. The combination with a musical inwitnesses.

strument case havi a bottom rail, of a JULIAN T. MAYER. swing' door orpane pivoted near and rail, Witnesses:

means oro'perating the door or panel, and THOMAS MeCoNKEY, 0 means fixedto the casing and having a slidl E. J. PR'INGLE.

